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City Council narrows mayoral candidate list to 5 people; interviews Thursday, vote Monday
The five who could be Charlotte’s next mayor (top row, L to R): Harold Cogdell Jr., Carrie Cook, Robert Harrington. (bottom row, L to R): James “Smuggie” Mitchell Jr., Caleb Theodros
by Tony Mecia
The Charlotte City Council has narrowed its search for a new mayor to five people, the city announced Wednesday.
The list of finalists for the top job, who will be interviewed publicly by council members on Thursday, includes many of the same faces that political insiders had surmised would make it to the next round after 114 people applied for the job earlier this month.
The five are:
Harold Cogdell Jr., a longtime Charlotte attorney and former Charlotte City Council member and Mecklenburg County commissioner
Carrie Cook, a Charlotte civic and economic-development leader who most recently served as vice president and community affairs officer for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s Charlotte
Robert Harrington, a longtime Charlotte attorney and partner at Robinson Bradshaw who has held leadership roles with the N.C. Bar Association and numerous civic organizations
James “Smuggie” Mitchell Jr., who has worked in business development and government affairs for construction and infrastructure firms and has served on the Charlotte City Council since 1999 (with two short breaks) and is now the city’s mayor pro tem
Caleb Theodros, a first-term North Carolina state senator and former chair of the Black Political Caucus who has also worked in technology and risk management at Bank of America
Your guide to the leading candidates
To help you understand more about who’s likely to be Charlotte’s next mayor, The Ledger has compiled mini-dossiers on those five — including their applications to be mayor, links to videos of their two-minute speeches to the City Council this week and video clips from two of them who appeared on a popular local podcast, “R&D in the N.C.,” hosted by former council members Tariq Bokhari and Larken Egleston. They were asked about a range of topics, including I-77 tolls, data centers and working with the Black Political Caucus and the business community.
The Charlotte City Council is scheduled to vote Monday on a replacement, who will serve until December 2027. The new mayor will replace Mayor Vi Lyles on July 1. Lyles, 73, announced last month that she is resigning to spend more time with her family.
Tony Mecia is The Ledger’s executive editor. Reach him at [email protected]